Owning your own home

I wasnt being serious, and hopefully that doesn't happen. The mob currently running things up here couldn't run a bath.

Whilst Johnson and his cronies funnel billions into their mates pockets, and fail at literally every challenge they meet in the most damaging and incompetent way possible.

I think that the United Kingdom is, possibly irreversibly, fucked - Scotland would be better off out of it, even moderately incompetent administrations would be better than the nakedly corrupt and staggeringly incompetent bunch we have in Westminster.

You’ll need to get your solicitor lined up before you do anything. (Craig Innes @ Warner’s LLP is a fucking champ by the way)

Also helps to have a mortgage broker that’s from Scotland -( I had endless problems trying to explain cash over to our England based broker)

Just move to Jedburgh.

https://espc.com/property/the-allars-house-jedburgh-td8-6nr/36025718?sid=112949

I wouldn't, as it doesn't suit my needs and there are other parts of the borders and Lothians that I prefer, but there's a lot of cheap and massive houses in places like Jedburgh and Hawick.

https://espc.com/property/12-eskside-east-musselburgh-east-lothian-eh21-7rs/36009407?sid=112949

@Dammit this is actually closer to what you're after think

My concern with that Musselburgh place would be a) proximity to river and b) climate change.

Fair point. I guess you know about the SEPA flood maps and risk assessment, which can give some more insight into this? If not: https://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/flooding/flood-maps/

That's handy, thanks.

We've got family friends who moved back to Hawick and we used to visit them as kids, I've got fond memories of that area.

My sister nearly choked to death on a Hawick Ball once though, she turned purple.

There's definitely good bits. I spent a weekend in Newcastleton not too long ago, and drove into Hawick for a day. Went on a tour of the Borders Distillery which is (in my biased opinion) a fantastic refurb.

I had to google Hawick Balls.

I mean I do agree but we've just had the worst drug deaths again last year, its certainly not all sunshine and rainbows up here I can guarantee that. The problem is they are all incompetent and corrupt no matter who's in.

Right people who know, talk to me about damp victorian terraced house basements. We have a 'standard' basement that runs under the hallway with the boundary wall to one side and a shoulder height wall on the inside over which you can see soil/rubble and the void below the dining/livingroom. Pic attached is from when we bought it, previous owner used it and had a tumble dryer and dehumidifier down there. The floor is concrete under the matt.

With the recent heavy rain/floods, we had water seeping in where the wall meets the floor. Not flooding in, but we mopped up at least 4 buckets full. Sections of the bricks along the bottom are still wet, even after 2 weeks of heat, air movers and a dehumidifier.

Is there anything that can be done to avoid it happening in the future or is 'sealing' the bottom half of the basement just sending the water elsewhere into more problematic places?

1 Attachment

I have a very identical problem.
Since the previous owners had £lots of home cinema shit down there- I get the feeling that this unbelievable weather we've had had a fair bit to do with it.

Our theory is:

1. We're going to re-instate the DPC this year.
   
2. 5 years we'll see the financial difference for Tank Vs Full extension.
   
3. up till then- nothing that is important gets stored there, and everything on stilts.
   

You'd be looking at a lot of dorrah to put in a proper long last fix to that problem. I'd just use it as a semi habitable space, store beer / wine / non perishable shiz in it.

Assume you've ruled out water leaks from services, gutters, downpipes and land drains? Might be worth looking at if not.

It was my bike cave, no signs of issues or rust, just the odd fluffy furry mould on saddle/bar tape close to walls. Kept toilet paper and cardboard boxes in there with no problem either. I don’t have anywhere else to put my bikes!

Stealth edits! Insurance company sent a drains/gutter guy and all ours are ok. Neighbor came round to have a look as he has worse problems in the past. He recons it’s the same in lots of the local houses, ground water getting in. He dug his out, put in a false floor and a sump pump. But he also studied loads of old maps etc and recons his is wore because of old underground stream/watercourse.
Ours is def not at that stage… yet

My parents have similar. Part of their cellar remains as built but they had the space under the back reception room dug out and converted to a bedroom a few decades ago. The bit of the original cellar that is used to reach the bedroom has a wall that damp finds a way into. They have had various tar type coatings applied to the walls from time to time which seem to sort of work for a while.

People further down the hill get loads of water when it rains a lot and are unable to do anything much with their cellar.

Don't forget it isn't a basement but a coal cellar and probably had a coal shoot from the front path. Using it to store anything else is a bonus.

Hah I see your plumber installed a magnetic woo device too

Fuck knows what they installed. It all works, so far.

Would leave it as is and fill it with wine (in bottles) tbh. Perfect conditions for a wine cellar

CCTV: I'm in the middle of building and now would be the time to consider a cctv / alarm system, especially if I need to wire for cameras. I'm not very worried but it's also not the safest place. Can anyone recommend cctv / alarm systems? What should I consider?

We have a system we built ourselves from Y-Cam. (now these guys https://www.responseelectronics.com/y-cam/)

Suits us as I can run all of the cabling and deal wireless networking no problem. Lots of similar systems out there to consider.

thnx, that’s helpful, will look into this!

@Dammit come be my neighbour
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/111504392#/?channel=RES_BUY

That silver sausage shaped thing near the top is a magic woo which claims to reduce limescale but it's just bullshit and at best is just another compression joint to weep. At worst it's reducing your pressure/flow slightly.
Pipework is a million times better than our plumber did. Nice job

Can anyone help with EWS1 advice?

Friend and his partner are trying to buy a third floor flat in a four storey building in Clapton. It is made of brick and has no cladding or balconies. Despite this, Barclays - their preferred lender - are insisting on an EWS1 which doesn't exist due to the balconies (wut). The housing association haven't done one, because in their view (and mine!) it isn't needed.

Barclays aren't budging, so they've given up with them and are proceeding with Santander, their second choice. Santander have apparently been using a process where they contact the building freeholder/management to discuss the fire risk assessment before they decide if an EWS1 is needed. So it seems they have a much more sensible process than Barclays, but that's no guarantee.

One of them is a freelancer and if Santander doesn't work out they're running out of mortgage options.

Is there anything else they could/should be doing?